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  1. #1
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    Help repacking hub

    I thought I repacked my hubs correctly when I converted from vault to regular grease but a premature rear seal failure is making me question that. So here’s what I’m working with, my trailer originally had vault hubs. The spindles don’t have a hole in the middle for a grease fitting so the only way to get grease into the hub is to pack the hub with grease before putting it on the spindle and then after putting the hub on, take a grease gun and squirt as much grease as possible around the spindle before putting in the outer bearing, washer, and nut. Then I put on a bearing buddy and squirted grease into it until the blue indicator popped out. It only took 2 or 3 pumps to make that happen.

    My questions are, when packing the hub with grease, you want the hub FULL of grease, right? I tried to fill the area between the rear seal and inner bearing full too. Could it be possible that I overfilled this area and that caused my rear seal to blow out after less than 1000 miles? It’s possible that I should have replaced my wear sleeve but I didn’t because my vault hubs weren’t leaking so I assumed the sleeve was still ok. I plan to replace the wear sleeve this time around. Also, how exactly does the bearing buddy get grease into the hub? Behind the bearing buddy is a nut and washer that pretty much covers the outer bearing and the spring loaded indicator isn’t that strong. I don’t see how pumping grease into the bearing buddy gets any grease past that washer and into the bearings. Am I wrong and thinking that’s what it’s supposed to do? Lastly, when I removed the dust cover from my bearing buddies, there was grease in them that had leaked out the front of the bearing buddy. How much seepage like this is normal?

    Any insight is appreciated.

  2. Member
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    #2
    I gave up on Bearing Buddies. I think they allow over pressurizing of the hub which can lead to seal leakage. I M H O if a wear sleeve keeps fluid in, it can easily control the proper amount of grease.
    With the Zerk fitting in the center of the axle, excess grease comes back out of the outer bearing. If properly packed by hand, conventional wheel bearings should last a couple of years even though dunked, if properly protected by a good steel cap and a good seal.

  3. Electrical/Wiring/Trolling Motors Moderator CatFan's Avatar
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    #3
    You don’t want the hub full of grease. https://www.timken.com/resources/md2...or-wheel-ends/

    Spinning a bearing in a full hub generates extra heat and the hub over-pressurizes and blows grease past the seal.
    If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity,
    nothing else matters.​

  4. Member
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    #4
    Quote Originally Posted by CatFan View Post
    You don’t want the hub full of grease. https://www.timken.com/resources/md2...or-wheel-ends/

    Spinning a bearing in a full hub generates extra heat and the hub over-pressurizes and blows grease past the seal.
    Thanks for the info. I feel like I should have known better, but I’m pretty sure this is the cause of my failure.

  5. Member
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    #5
    Quote Originally Posted by CatFan View Post
    You don’t want the hub full of grease. https://www.timken.com/resources/md2...or-wheel-ends/

    Spinning a bearing in a full hub generates extra heat and the hub over-pressurizes and blows grease past the seal.

    Bearing Buddies have a relief hole and space for the dust cap to expand outwards under spring pressure before it's reached. Rapid inner seal wear points towards a rough or corroded sealing surface, or excessive play in the bearing. I've run Buddies since 1989 with excellent service periods, averaging 100+ trips annually.

  6. Member
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    #6
    Replace the sleeves

  7. Member
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    #7
    Replace the wear sleeve if there is a groove in it that you can feel. Also only use high quality seals, like Timken #470460.

  8. Member
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    #8
    Besides replacing the wear sleeve, be sure to check the inside diameter of the seal. For a 3500lb class Vault they should be a 1.68 ID, the more common size for that weight rating is 1.72. I can tell you from experience that 1) even if you give the correct size or part number to a part store, they may give you a 1.72, and 2) those will leak very quickly, if not immediately.

  9. Member
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    #9
    Quote Originally Posted by CatFan View Post
    You don’t want the hub full of grease. https://www.timken.com/resources/md2...or-wheel-ends/

    Spinning a bearing in a full hub generates extra heat and the hub over-pressurizes and blows grease past the seal.
    That is for automotive hubs not boat trailer hubs. When boat trailer hubs have air in them, the air expands while in use do to heat, then when you back into the water, the air cools down, shrinking, creates a vacuum, and will suck in water around the seals. Maybe not a lot but over and over, the water builds up ruining the bearings. A full hub reduces the chance of this. I have started using airtight hubs from airtighthubs.com which completely seals the hub and uses positive slight air pressure to keep the water out. If it’s sealed air is ok, like the vault hubs and air tight hubs, but for standard hubs you don’t want air in them.
    Mercury 2002 200hp Carbed Saltwater
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  10. Electrical/Wiring/Trolling Motors Moderator CatFan's Avatar
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    #10
    Quote Originally Posted by leonreno View Post
    That is for automotive hubs not boat trailer hubs. When boat trailer hubs have air in them, the air expands while in use do to heat, then when you back into the water, the air cools down, shrinking, creates a vacuum, and will suck in water around the seals. Maybe not a lot but over and over, the water builds up ruining the bearings. A full hub reduces the chance of this. I have started using airtight hubs from airtighthubs.com which completely seals the hub and uses positive slight air pressure to keep the water out. If it’s sealed air is ok, like the vault hubs and air tight hubs, but for standard hubs you don’t want air in them.
    Any bearing in a grease-filled hub runs hot due to churning. Cars used sealed bearings so the article would not apply to them at all.
    If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity,
    nothing else matters.​

  11. Member
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    #11
    Thanks everyone for your thoughts. The amount of contradictory advice on subjects like this always makes me chuckle. It’s very hard for a relatively new boat owner to know what they should do. I guess my main takeaway is find whatever works for me and stick with it.

  12. Member
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    #12
    True
    Mercury 2002 200hp Carbed Saltwater
    OT566776
    2002 Cape Horn 22' Bay

  13. Member
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    #13
    I also am not a fan of bearing buddies. I had the exact same situation with one of my Vault hubs blowing a seal after one year. Cleaned out the old grease, put a new seal on. repacked with fresh grease, and re-used the Vault cap. If you fill the Vault cap with grease to the line on the inside of it, and put it back on properly using a plumbing fitting to hammer it on, the small back insert on the cap will pop out a little indicating proper pressure within the Vault. That was three years ago. Haven’t touched it since, and will likely do the other three hubs like this next year.
    2019 BCB Classic
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  14. Member
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    #14
    There will always be arguments about filling the hubs with grease, or leaving air. Either way is fine is everything else is done correctly. The bearings have to be "packed". Just smearing grease on the bearings won't work. The proper method for packing the bearings is outlined in the article linked by CatFan. There's also tools available to pack bearings without getting your hands as dirty. https://duckduckgo.com/?q=bearing+pa...t=brave&ia=web

  15. Member
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    #15
    I’ve seen plenty of bearing failures that appeared to be from lack of grease (especially at the inside bearing) or from water intrusion, I’ve only ever heard of 1 that was thought to be a grease failure. Filing your hubs helps stop the first 2, so I’ve always done that and never had an issue from it. I do leave some room in the cap to allow for some expansion though.

  16. Member
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    #16
    Many people do not use Bearing Buddies correctly as mentioned above they are only greased until you see movement of the inner spring to provide slight pressure in the hub they are not for forceing grease to the bearings. Over greasing just blows out the inner seal causing failures. My trailer is 23 years old and have never had to replace the bearings repack the bearings every 5-8 years using Bearing Buddies correctly.

  17. Member
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    #17
    This is how I do mine, and I'm quite overdue on bearing check/repack on my 38 year old Skeeter trailer--for some reason I think that I repacked bearings once in the last 16 years simply because multiple life changes and work projects and just now have time (and enough sleep) to think about these things. Putting a few squirts to start seeing the spring move every several fishing trips has saved my butt; I still feel no slack or hear noise when I spin the tires before I rotate them. My uncle got it over 25 years ago, and I got it from him about 16 years ago. I definitely need to pull them apart this summer year knowing that I have time before I get super busy in the next several years for work projects.